When Night Falls
by regalfangirl
Summary: Regina is now married to King Leopold, but the marriage is far worse than she could have ever imagined. The only person she has to help her through this nightmare is her trustworthy servant, Emily. Rated M for graphic violence and rape.


**Hello everyone! This is my very first fanfic, so I really hope you will take the time to review it. I appreciate all reviews, good and bad, as I want to improve where I can! Thank you for taking the time to read this dark work of mine. XO  
(Please note that english is not my native tongue. There might be some irritating mistakes)**

* * *

Regina runs the silver brush through her hair and feels every muscle in her body ache. She winces and groans silently while willing herself to keep going despite the pain. Her shoulder protests as she moves her arm for yet another stroke of the brush, but stops when she feels a hand around her own.

"Let me," a soft voice says quietly from behind her.

Regina turns abruptly at the sudden sound and cries out when shooting pain works its way all around her delicate figure.

"No, no, sit still. Don't move, let me do it for you," the young woman standing behind her continues, while she takes the brush from Regina's hand and starts stroking the long, brunette locks gently.

"Thank you, Emily," Regina croaks out, furrowing her brow at the sound of her hoarse voice. She clears her throat and offers Emily a tiny smile that doesn't reach her eyes.

Silence falls around them, echoing off the bare walls of the castle. The only sound is the rhythmic stroking of the silver brush against Regina's hair. Emily works her way through the dark hair slowly and thoroughly, gently scratching her fingernails against Regina's scalp in the process. Regina sighs and closes her eyes at the feeling and lets her body fall back into the upholstered chair that is placed in front of her vanity. The mirror before her is big and framed by shiny metal that entwines in an artistic pattern. The room is filled by nothing but this vanity, a wardrobe, a queen sized bed - only fitting for a Queen - and a round rug in white and silver cotton, taking up most of the center floor of the room. To the right of the two women is a big balcony looking over the realm of Queen Regina and King Leopold. The mild spring breeze fills the air with the smell of blooming flowers and newly cut grass. Regina can hear birds' chirping as the sun rises and the servants in the garden are already taking on their daily tasks as the sound of metal against metal seeps through the air from their shovels and buckets rattling against each other. She revels in the sounds of life as Emily keeps scratching her scalp, even though she has settled the brush on the vanity.

"Was he rough on you last night, my lady?" Emily suddenly asks softly, breaking the peaceful sounds around them. Regina snaps her eyes open and they widen when she is met by her own horrifying reflection in the vanity mirror. Her face is somewhat swollen and red, a bruise forming under her right eye and a cut in her bottom lip. The marks of a hand around her shoulder screams bright red where her silky nightgown has fallen from its place. She sits straight up, pulls at her gown and looks down into her lab as to avoid the evidence of what happened last night.

"You know he always is," she whispers, then stands and turns slowly to minimum the agonizing pain of moving, looking her servant in the eye, "and how many times how I told you to call me Regina?" she says softly and smiles as the other woman's cheeks turn slightly pink. From shame of her question or the remark of her formal titling, Regina doesn't know. Emily tucks her strawberry-blond hair behind her ear and locks her azure eyes onto Regina's chocolate brown ones.

"I know, I'm sorry." She doesn't know what exactly she is apologizing for, but she smiles and shrugs at her Queen nonetheless. She moves elegantly around the chair and takes Regina's left arm, lifting it up.

"May I?" she asks.

Regina feels herself tightening but nods slowly. She watches as Emily pulls down the sleeve of her nightgown to examine her shoulder. The blonde woman frowns as her gaze lingers on the cuts and bruises on Regina's figure. She has almost imperceptible red marks around her neck, but they're there, and both her shoulders are marked by what seems like a perfect imprint of a hand. He must have held her down. She moves her gaze further over Regina's body and discovers more marks much like these. Both her wrists are bruised and marked by the same hand imprint. Emily locks eyes with Regina once more and notices the glistening tears in the brunette's eyes. Her expression is bleak, trying to hold back the rush of uncomfortable emotions threatening to boil up to the surface and break her to pieces. Emily takes in the bruises and feels herself shutter. How can anyone be this cruel, this inhuman? She notices how Regina is slumping ever so slightly to her left. She furrows her brows.

"Is it dislocated?" Emily asks, pointing to Regina's left shoulder. Regina's cheeks redden and she avoids Emily's gaze.

"I don't know," she says in nothing more than a whisper, "I don't think so. It just hurts if I try to hold it up," she says and wraps her arms around her torso, grimacing as a new shooting of pain runs down her left arm. A stray tear escapes from the glistening film over her eyes and she quickly removes it with the back of her hand. She can't cry. If she does, she'll never stop. She takes a steadying breath and slowly shakes her head before looking into those azure eyes once again. Emily looks back at her with a soft look, not with pity, but with the caring eyes of a dear friend. It warms at Regina's heart and she smiles a little more tenderly this time. She then walks around the blonde woman, heading for the wardrobe. She wants to get out of this nightgown as quickly as possible. It reeks of him, of his sweat and cologne, and it makes her stomach turn. It's not like she hasn't tried this before. The nightly visits of her husband started no longer than a week after their wedding. She remembered being startled by the door to her room being thrown open ferociously as she lay in bed trying to sleep. He had grinned wolfishly at her and shut the door just as ferociously behind him, before crawling on to the bed and striding on top of her. She at first had no idea of what he was doing or how she should react, but she quickly discovered that he didn't care. She was just his trophy, his toy to play with as he saw fit. Violently, for that matter. Very violently. She shivered at the thought. She hadn't been able to walk for a week after that first night. She was only 18 years old. A purely innocent 18-year-old. But from that night on, her young and innocent self started crumbling and she grew far older than her years in such a short time that she wasn't even able to keep track of her own self anymore. The constant reminder that she was neither young nor free came with the nightly visits of King Leopold.

She opens the big doors to the wardrobe and her body protest to the extra effort. She mostly just feels like laying down on the cold stone floor and not move at all, just lay perfectly still until the aching of every cell in her body stops. But she has to do something, to keep herself going, or else the horrible happenings of last night will come crawling back to her like nightmares. The happenings of almost every night, really. She looks inside the massive wardrobe and finds herself lost in the amount of gowns. She sighs heavily. Emily comes up from behind her, reaching for a floor-length dress in navy-blue. It has a pattern of tiny silver flowers spread over the soft fabric, and a High Neck neckline, while the back of the dress is open. Its long angel sleeves have silver lace at the ends to match the little flowers.

"This will cover the marks on both you shoulder, neck and wrists," Emily states kindly, "and then you look positively gorgeous in blue." She smiles and looks at the brunette, handing her the dress with a nod.

"Go on. Put it on. I'll take the nightgown down to the laundress," she says with a slight wrinkle of her small nose.

"Thank you," Regina says without looking at the blonde woman and lets the nightgown fall off of her shoulders and pool at her feet. Emily can't help the almost inaudible gasp that crawls over her lips when Regina stands before her in only her undergarments. The brunette's hips are covered in deep, purple bruises and scratches that can only be from fingernails mark her thighs. A thin trail of blood is running down her inner thigh and Emily's eyes widen in panic.

"Regina! You're –"

"Don't." Regina snaps a little too harshly at the blonde. She takes the navy-blue dress from her servant in one swift move and pulls it over her head, ignoring the numbing pain her shoulder is thrumming with.

"But… But you're ble – "

"I said don't. Just take the nightgown," Regina says and walks towards the door of her room. She knows very well what Emily was trying to say, as she feels a sticky warm stream dance across the skin of her inner thighs. She swallows hard against the lump forming in her throat and moves in steady strides for the door and out into the hallway of the castle. She turns right and finds herself in the direction of the lavatory. She needs to wash the remaining evidence of Leopold off her.

* * *

"Don't forget that the ball is this evening," Emily says as Regina reaches for one of the perfectly round and shiny apples of her beloved tree. She inhales the scent of it slowly and closes her eyes to revel in it. When Emily clears her throat for her attention, she turns her head in the direction of the blonde and offers her a weak nod. She doesn't want to think about the ball. Balls mean having to dress up in much more than just a pretty dress – she has to wear the façade of a happy wife, whose husband doesn't beat and rape her. She has to stand by Leopold's side and watch as he smiles and talks fondly of her, like he loves her so deeply, she has to let him hold her hand and kiss her cheek tenderly, like he cherishes her. But worst of all this, she has to go back to her chamber later that evening and let him undress her and take her against her own will. And the façade breaks alongside everything else Regina contains. The little flicker of hope that plants itself in the pit of her stomach when Leopold shows such kindness to her, even though she wills it not to, is all the more painful to have ripped from you time after time. And even though she knows his façade is just for the courtesy of the ball and the people attending, the little flicker of hope keeps rebuilding itself inside her, making her dream of a life worth living. A life where she doesn't have to cover up marks of her husbands abuse or wake from her own heart wrenching screams at night, when she is left alone with her nightmares.

She places the apple on top of the others in the little basket she's carrying. This tree is the only thing giving her a purpose in life, giving her something to tend to and love. Even though she is the Queen of this land, she has neither power nor responsibilities. Not that she wants any of that either way. She never wanted anything else than to be free, to have options, to live her dreams and find her true love. To be happy. Now she has none and will never get a chance to, ever again. She takes a last look at her precious tree before turning and heading for the castle entrance from the garden. She knows Emily is following her, but she doesn't try to start a conversation or wishes for Emily to. She doesn't have the energy. She just takes a mental note at how wonderful Emily has always been to her. Even from the first of many abusive episodes with Leopold, she was there to clean up the mess. Both the literal mess, and the mess that was Regina. She always helped her and gave her strength to try and carry on, to find those little things in life that could make her smile. It was Emily who had brought home the, at that time, very small apple tree in a flowerpot, ushering Regina into taking care of it. It was Emily who helped Regina cover up the marks so she didn't have to face the questioning gazes from the other servants, even though they all knew what was going on. And it was Emily who held Regina's hand and stroked her back when she was drowning in her own existence. Emily was Regina's one and only friend. She didn't see her as her servant, although Emily still tended to those responsibilities. She saw her as the only person who actually cared for her and as the only person she too cared for.

So when Emily walks up to her side, she simply smiles and latches her arm through hers. She doesn't need to say that she is grateful – Emily knows. She knows very well by the way Regina's face light up whenever she looks at her, even though it, at times, is very well buried under sorrow and despair. And she knows by Regina's gentle actions, such as latching their arms together. Emily gives the brunette's arm a light squeeze at the thought, which Regina returns with a silent smile. They walk in silence through the castle doors and into the big corridor when Regina stops and turns to face Emily. At first she just looks at the blonde, searching for something in her eyes, although Emily doesn't know what. Just as she is about to say something, Regina cuts her off and finally talks:

"I…" she says quietly before stopping to reconsider her words. She looks down at her hands for a minute before returning her gaze to Emily's delicate features.

"Will you help me get ready for the ball?" she finally asks, and lets the real question of matter hang in the air between them. Emily furrows her brows ever so slightly and a quizzical expression briefly touches her face before she just smiles and says:

"Of course I will. I always do," and tucks Regina along the corridor in the direction of the brunette's chamber.

* * *

Regina stands on the balcony in her chamber looking out on the arriving guests and their big carriages. The number of royals attending this ball is no less than usual. The sun has almost set, causing the horizon to light up with a warm orange color. Pink and red clouds are spread in a fluffy pattern across the blue sky and the whole view seems almost magical from where Regina is standing. She can feel the last of the warm sunlight dance across her skin and the sound of horseshoes echo in the air. The sound settles in her chest causing it to twist in nostalgic pain. She sucks in a shuddering breath and grips the balustrade so tight her knuckles turn white. The sound haunts her like the last fragments of a dream long lost. It's only when she feels the reassuring squeeze of Emily's hands on her shoulders that she realizes she's been holding her breath for several minutes. She releases her grip on the balustrade wincing as her now stiff fingers protest against the motion. When she turns, Emily is standing mere inches from her, a sad smile resting on her pink lips. The warm light from the setting sun sparkles in her eyes as they rest on Regina's face and her strawberry blonde hair glows an almost red color. Regina stares dumbfounded at the blonde as they lock gazes, waiting for her to say something. When she doesn't, Regina clears her throat and smoothens her gown before straightening her shoulders and walking over to her vanity.

The gown Emily has chosen is simply beautiful, a deep cerise pink with a vast decoration of golden rhinestones. The stones cover up a great area of the hem of the sweetheart neckline, and continue in little patches down the whole dress. The dress lingers on her entire form, resting tightly around every curve of her body. Thin spaghetti straps, exposing both her shoulders and arms, are the only things holding it up. Emily has given her a golden shawl to wrap around her shoulders to cover up the still remaining marks. Her hair is arranged in a big updo, with part of it falling down her back in big curls. The makeup around her eyes is a mix between purple and gold, and the last touch to the outfit is her simple gold earrings and ring. As Regina now stares at her reflection, she can't help but shudder. The King will like this. And even if she likes looking and feeling this beautiful, she would rather show up in a brown bag if it would prevent the King from looking at her with those hungry eyes. She sighs quietly and turns to look at her blonde servant once again.

"Do I look okay?" she asks, gesturing her hand down the full length of her body. She manages a tight smile even as tears prick behind her eyes. Emily looks at her for a long moment, darting her eyes down, up, and then down again, before resting her gaze at Regina's face. She smiles warmly.

"You look beautiful, Regina. As always," she says as she takes Regina's hand, "now let's get you down to the great hall. Your guests are waiting."

"They are not _my_ guests," Regina says sourly as she starts walking towards the door of her room.

"Maybe not, but they are here for a ball at your castle. And as the Queen, that includes you. You know this," Emily states matter-of-factly. Regina sighs heavily and can't help her slight irritation towards Emily's words. She is very much right though. As the Queen, she is expected to attend all happenings at her castle. All happenings in the realm, really.

They reach the massive door to the great hall. Mumbles of voices can be heard from the many attending guests on the other side and Regina swallows hard at the thought of having to greet them all. She rests her hand on the gold handle of the wooden door and looks at Emily. Emily smiles reassuringly.

"I'll be here when it's over," she says softly. Whether she is referring to the ball or something completely else that Regina would rather not give the slightest though, Regina doesn't know. But she smiles back at the blonde nonetheless and finally enters the great hall.

The room is of a great scale, enormous really, and painting besides painting covers up the walls. Several chandeliers hang from the ceiling, filling the room with a far to bright glow. She hasn't taken more than five steps inside before Leopold comes stamping towards her, his eyes tight and jaw clenched.

"You're late," he says harshly as he grips her arm and tucks her along, "no time for formalities, supper is already on the table. Sit." He pushes her down into her seat beside him, and sits down in his own chair. She doesn't say anything as she picks up her napkin and places it in her lap. A bowl of onion soup is placed before her and she takes her silver spoon and quietly starts eating. She can feel the gazes of the many guests rest upon her and it makes her shiver. Leopold slurps his soup noisily and laughs loudly at some of the funny anecdotes coming from across the table. Regina isn't listening, her senses only focused on Leopold himself. She stiffens with every move he makes, watching him intently out of the corner of her eye. She doesn't risk a glance around the table, afraid she might have to hold a conversation with the guests closest to her. She keeps her head down, focusing her gaze on the bowl before her, all the while maintaining her watch on Leopold. The soup tastes ghastly, she never liked onions, but she manages to uphold the façade of a Queen and eats it. When she has finished, she takes a long sip of her wine, ignoring the look Leopold shoots her.

The dinner goes by slowly, the courses being served with too much time in between. Leopold hasn't shown any interest in Regina all evening though, so as far as she knows, this evening couldn't go by any better. She has maintained a relaxed surface, kept her shawl in place and avoided any conversation. Since Leopold hasn't said a word to her since he strictly ordered her to "sit" like you would a dog, Regina feels pleasantly surprised by the whole event, growing calmer as it reaches its end. They are eating their last spoonful of almond pudding when Leopold suddenly wraps his hand around Regina's knee. She is startled by the sudden motion, jumps in her chair and drops her spoon in her lap. Leopold reaches for the spoon with his other hand and waves it in front of her face.

"Woops," he whispers sweetly. Regina's body has come to a stiff unnatural position and she holds her breath while watching as he places the spoon on the table. Her eyes dart in every direction of the room, trying to see if anyone is looking at them, but everyone seems to be far too focused on their own conversations to notice them.

"You look ravishing, my Queen," he purrs as he places a wet kiss on Regina's temple. Regina stays perfectly still but swallows hard against the lump in her throat. She can taste her food far to intensely for her liking. Her whole body shivers as Leopold's hand starts traveling up her leg, pushing at the cerise dress to reveal the smooth skin of her slender legs. She stares blankly into the room not daring to make eye contact with him.

"Aren't you going to thank me for complimenting you?" he asks. When Regina doesn't answer, he digs his nails into her naked skin, making her cry out in a whisper.

"Thank you," she whimpers. His grip unfolds and he nods his head as if praising himself for his success. He trails his index finger along Regina's collarbone, making the shawl fall out of place and reveal the still red scratches on her shoulders.

"Oh… would you look at that," he says as he swirls his finger in circles over the scratches. Regina's heart is pounding rapidly against her chest as he bends down and kisses her shoulder.

"So beautiful", he says almost to himself, "quite a handiwork." He grins as he covers up the marks again.

He then rises from his chair, causing everyone to look up at him.

"My dear ladies, gentlemen – the Queen and I will leave you for a short moment, but feel free to start dancing," he says in his monocratic voice. He then takes Regina's hand and starts leading her out of the great hall, her napkin falling to the floor at her chair. A quiet sob escapes her throat and Leopold shoots her a stiff glare.

"Don't you dare," he growls. He drags Regina after him, causing her to stumble over her own feet a few times. When they reach the door to her room, he throws her up against it. He looks her up and down before moving his lips to her ear.

"If you so much as make a sound, I will beat you until you lose the ability to speak. Understood?"

Regina closes her eyes as if to calm herself before nodding. He grins at her wolfishly and pushes her through the door. After banging the door shut, he grabs her around both arms and spins her around so she's facing him. He grasps her chin and snaps her head up to his face. Regina's brown eyes look back at him in pure fear.

"Naked," he snarls and releases her. She looks at him in confusion at first but is enlightened when he points a stiff finger at her dress. She gulps and starts to undress. As she lets the dress and undergarments pool at her feet she closes her eyes and takes one steadying breath before looking up at him again. He then points to his pants. She shudders before reaching for the fastening with trembling hands. It resists her unsteady fingers and even though she tries, it's not willing to open. After several attempts, she dares to look up at him and then the first blow falls. He hits his palm against her cheek with such force that she falls to the ground in a cry. He unbuckles his pants and walks over to his naked Queen, grips her by her long curls and pulls her upright. Regina whines and shuts her eyes tightly to try and numb the pain.

"Stupid cow," he hisses between gritted teeth before throwing her onto the bed. She lands with a loud thud as her head bangs against the headboard. Her eyes are still closed but she can hear him moving towards the bed and it bounds when he crawls onto it. His hands grab her thighs tightly and pull them apart, forcing her down into the madras on her back.

"Look at me!" he growls and Regina's eyes flutter open. She looks up into his face, red and angry, and his eyes bore into her own, pining her down with silent threats of rough hands against her body, if she doesn't do as she's asked. She blinks away the wet film trying to cover her eyes. He will get angry if she cries. He always does. She continues staring into his eyes while his hands start trailing down her already aching body. He digs his fingernails into her scalp and starts an agonizing journey across her body. She clenches her teeth as his nails travel down each side of her face, along her neck and over both her breasts, leaving a burning trail. He digs his nails further into her skin as they work their way down her stomach, over her hips and all the way down her legs. Regina's lower lip trembles as she holds back tears of pain, willing her eyes to stay open and fixed on his face. He grins as he moves his hands to cup each of her breasts and clenches his hands together until his knuckles turn white. Regina cries out and close her eyes for a brief moment only to feel his palm against her cheek once again.

"I said look at me! I want to see you while I _pleasure _you," his tongue caresses his teeth while he says the word, sending shivers down her spine. She whispers silent prayers in her head, willing him to stop. But no one is listening. He straddles her, pinning her hips down and spreads her legs further.

"I promised our guest we'll be back soon. So we better get this done," he snarls.

He grabs both of Regina's wrist in one of his huge hands and lifts her arms over her head, pushing them so hard into the madras that she feels the blood leave her hands and her fingers go cold. He then moves his other hand, leaving another burning trail of his fingernails across her body before cupping her sex. He uses one leg to spread hers even further before straddling her once more, his knees crushing against both Regina's hipbones. She bites down on her lower lip to drown the scream threatening to escape her mouth as he thrusts four full fingers into her. He picks up a pace, smashing his fingers into her with such force that her head bangs against the headboard with each thrust. Her eyes are closed now but he doesn't seem to care, as her face contorts in such pain that it's triumph enough. Regina's teeth break through the soft skin of her lower lip as she bites down her screams, trying so hard not to give him further reason to beat her. The metallic taste of her own blood makes her stomach turn. Her breathing is fast and shallow and her heart pounds so rapidly against her chest that she fears it will break through her ribcage. She clenches her eyes tightly shut, trying to think about something else, anything else. Her mind wanders to memories of horses, wild flowers on meadows of long grass, hiking at the river or in the forest, the smell of fresh air and rain. She has almost distracted herself enough to numb the pain to the bearable when he thrusts into her with his own full length. She can't help the surprised scream of agonizing pain that resonates in her throat and crawls over her lips, echoing of the castle walls. This time it's his clenched fist that bangs against her face, causing her to cry out once again.

"I told you to be quiet!" he shouts as he picks up his pace and smashes himself into her again and again, her head now throbbing from the constant contact with the headboard. She has lost the ability to surface her conscious and silence her screams and now cries out from every excruciating thrust. Her screams only make him intensify the already painful smashing of him inside her fragile body. It's becoming an endless circle. As Regina cries out once again, he grabs her by the shoulders, spins her over on her stomach and spanks her butt so hard that the vibrating pain travels all the way up her spine. She muffles her tormenting scream into the madras as he hits her again. Her voice cracks over the straining of her voice as he hits her the third time, finishing by digging his nails into her now blazing skin and spins her over once more, to continue his agonizing pace. Regina tries to cover her mouth with her hands to silence her screams, but he grabs her wrists again. Tears are streaming down her face as she lies still, taking every thrust and feeling every nerve of her body scream from pain. The now very strong headache is blinding her, making her see spots.

"Pl…please… please stop," she whimpers almost inaudible just as he makes his final thrust and empties himself inside her. He pulls out of her abruptly, making her to wince, and pulls her up in a sitting position on the bed. She collapses as he lets go of her, falling into the madras in a shivering spasm. He takes her by her hair, pulling her upwards while she cries out. He cups her chin almost too gently before looking into her eyes for a long moment. Tears continue to stream down her face as she locks gazes with him. He grins his wolfish grin and then smacks his tongue mockingly. And then he smashes his fist straight into her stomach.

"Don't **ever** tell me to stop!" he growls as he throws her to the ground. He kicks her in her stomach one more time before picking up his pants, stalking out of the room and banging the door shut so hard the walls almost tremble from the force.

Regina gasps for air, her breath caught hoarsely in her throat causing her to yelp out in a persistent cough. She clutches her stomach, trying to suck in a deep breath to open up her lungs, but nothing happens. Her vision starts to blur and her eyelids flutter as she tries to push against the overwhelming exhaustion that's threatening to drown her. She coughs rapidly against the dryness of her throat, her eyes aching from the dizziness of lack of oxygen. She gasps forcefully, finally taking in a much-needed puff of air. She hears rather than feels the smacking of her head against the stone floor as she collapses, hissing rapidly and unsteadily. And then everything goes black.

* * *

Emily stalks down the long hallway, almost falling over her own feet in the attempt to run faster. The agonizing screams of Regina still echoes in her head, making her stomach turn from fear. When she finally reaches Regina's chamber, she places her hands on her knees, breathless. She closes her eyes for a moment, trying to calm herself. When she has caught her breath, she stands upright, placing a hand on the handle. She takes a steadying breath, preparing herself for what she might find on the other side of the door. But even though she is dreading the sight, Regina needs her.

She pushes open the door, freezing in place. Regina is lying unconscious on the floor, naked. Her whole body is glowing, flaming, with dark red marks that have cut through her skin several of places. Emily slowly, cautiously walks into the room and falls to her knees in front of Regina. At first she doesn't dare to touch her. She might cause her even more pain. But then she gently strokes her cheek, whispering her name to try and wake her up. When she gets no response, she softly shakes one of Regina's shoulders. The movement causes Regina's face to contort in absolute pain and her eyelids flutter open. The brunette gasps out of shock when she sees another person's presence, trying to move and slide away across the floor.

"No, Regina it's me, it's me, Emily," Emily says quietly and grabs one of Regina's hands. Regina looks up into the face of the blonde, her heartbeat slowing again when she sees the familiar face of a friend. She sighs and lets her body relax. Emily then moves closer, reaching for Regina's shoulders. Regina stiffens and her eyes wide in horror.

"I just want to help you sit up. You shouldn't be lying on the cold floor." She then reaches around Regina's back and under her arms, lifting her gently up into a sitting position. Regina's body trembles and collapses, her muscles not having enough strength to hold her upright. Emily quickly grabs the duvet on the bed and covers Regina's freezing body before wrapping her arms around her and resting the brunette's body against her own. Regina rests her head in the hollow of the blonde's neck, closing her eyes. She pulls her knees up under her and rolls into a ball. Her body keeps trembling from both exhaustion and the cold. The thumbing headache still pounding violently against her skull threatens to knock her out again. Her thoughts are screaming at her, constantly reminding her of her horrifying fate, not giving her a moments peace. The smell of Leopold, the sound of her own screaming, the feeling of nails digging into her flesh and breaking it, Leopold ripping her insides with his continuing thrusts. And as Emily strokes her back, Regina starts crying. Long sobs vibrate through her whole body as she finally lets free all the pain she has been trying to hold down. She lets herself free-fall into her own misery, feeling the pieces of her heart and soul shatter within her. Her vision blurs as tears fill her eyes and spill down her cheeks, dripping down onto the duvet. Emily soothes her, but says nothing. Regina gasps for air in between sobs, shivering at the echoing sounds of her cries being thrown back from the castle walls. Her heart is physically aching as all her nightmares come back to life in this very miserable moment. Emily lifts the brunette's chin with her index finger, forcing deep, brown eyes to look into azure. Regina catches a sob in her throat, almost choking and holds her breath. Her face is bruised and covered in red scratches and the tears staining her cheeks continue to fall silently. She looks at Emily with such vulnerability that the blonde feels her heart clench. Emily cups Regina's cheek and whispers:

"It's going to be okay. I'm here. I'll protect you." The faintest of smiles touch at Regina's eyes and she sobs anew, throwing her arms around Emily's neck and borrowing her face in the blonde's torso. Emily just holds her. Strokes her back slowly and comforting, shushing her. Trying to build up what has been broken down into millions of pieces. And then she silently starts crying. She puts her hands over Regina's ice-cold feet, trying to bring them some warmth. When Regina slowly stops sobbing and begins to breath heavily, Emily realizes she's fallen asleep. Her expression is peaceful, her cheeks glistening from the tears of her broken being. Emily sits there on the cold floor with her arms wrapped around Regina, wishing for a little hope and love for this broken girl. Because she simply cannot put the pieces back together herself. All she can do is wipe away her tears and hold her when she needs her to. She kisses the top of Regina's head and holds her a little tighter, careful not the cause her any pain. She then rests her cheek against Regina's hair as she whispers in a wretched voice:

"I will always be here."


End file.
